Koh Lipe, Thailand
Thailand's sun-drenched jewel in the South Andaman Sea, Koh Lipe
has recently risen to the top of intrepid beach lovers’ A-list of island
paradises. Considered an alternative to the overexploited Koh Phi Phi (which
gained fame as the setting for the film The
Beach), Koh Lipe is accessible only by boat, with departure ports
that include Krabi and the nearby Malaysian island of Langkawi.
Crystal
waters and pristine reefs surround the island. Up to 25 percent of the world’s
tropical fish species swim in the protected waters around Koh Lipe (the island
is in Tarutao National Marine Park). Pattaya Beach may be the island’s most
developed tourist spot, but head to quieter Sunrise Beach, where a now settled
community of “sea gypsies,” the Chao Lei, live and fish. Take in the view from
Castaway Resort's "chill-out deck," above.
Istria, Croatia
Think Tuscany, but with a Habsburg past. The shady, rolling
hills of Istria—Croatia’s northernmost peninsula—are becoming widely known for
their truffles, Malvazija white wines, olive oil stancijas (estates), and crumbling hill towns.
Cyclists can spin their spokes over some 2,000 miles of extensively maintained
bike trails. Along the coast, sunny ocean views and impromptu opportunities for
swimming and snorkeling abound.
The
romantic town of Rovinj (above), a former Venetian vassal state, rises from the
Adriatic like an estranged island of Venice.
Pine-shaded Adriatic coves entice with a refreshing plunge. Evenings are capped
off with Champagne cocktails at the Valentino Bar, a breezy boîte perched
directly on the water and illuminated in vivid cerulean by underwater
lights—not a bad spot to nurture your own inner Casanova.
North Colombia
Tayrona National Park's gorgeous beaches are a
highlight of northern Colombia,
home also to the famed Ciudad Perdida. The cleared mountaintop terraces of the
"lost city" shine like a green grassy beacon declaring the country’s
rebirth as a travel destination at the crossroads of the Caribbean and South
America.
Costa Brava
The boats painted in yellow, crimson, and white that bob in the
water could belong to any scraggy Mediterranean coast. The polar bear that
guards them, however, means only one thing: Salvador Dalí’s home in Costa
Brava. Dalí, one of art’s greatest eccentrics, came from this part of
Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. His giant eggs, swan fountains, and melting
clocks drew inspiration from this sunshine-laced wilderness.
The
medieval city of Girona also overflows with creativity during its annual spring
flower festival, the Temps de Flors. Surprising floral creations spill down
cathedral steps and bloom-inspired art installations fill city squares and
stone-walled courtyards. The fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell (above)
charms with seaside restaurants and homes.
Sonoma, California
Spend some time floating in an inner tube down
the Russian River and walking amid ancient giants—one over 1,400 years old—at
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Poke around the old Russian stockade
at Fort Ross, which turns 200 in 2012, or the Spanish adobe mission, San Francisco Solano, in Sonoma town. Hunt for antiques along
Petaluma’s downtown Victorian row, and dine on seasonal sake-steamed, aged
abalone at Michelin-starred Cyrus in Healdsburg. And don’t miss a flaky,
fruit-packed slice of Gravenstein pie from Mom’s Apple Pie, a roadside stop
outside Sebastopol. It ranks up there with a Russian River Valley Pinot
Noir as a real taste of Sonoma.
Muskoka, Ontario
Just two hours by car—but a world away—from powerhouse Toronto beats the heart of Ontario’s cottage country, Muskoka.
Families have gathered here for generations to revel in true wilderness. The
2,500-square-mile area includes 8,699 miles of shoreline, 17 historic towns and
villages, and innumerable waterfalls and lakes (like Kahshe Lake, above) framed
by the peaks of Algonquin Provincial Park to the east and the isles of Georgian
Bay Islands National Park to the west.
There’s
plenty to do here but nothing you’d put on an agenda. Lounge with friends,
barbecue everything, watch the night sky from the dock in the pitch black, play
board games while listening to the rain. And run around barefoot all day.
London
In Olympic-ready London,
a new landmark (City Hall) meets old (Tower Bridge) along the Thames. The last
time London hosted the Olympics, in 1948, locals subsisted on rations, there
was no budget for new sports venues, and many competitors slept in military
huts in Richmond Park. Britain may be entering another age of austerity, but
nearly $15 billion has been spent on sprucing up the capital for the 2012
Olympics.
Many
sporting events have already sold out, but there will be hundreds of free
cultural events to enjoy throughout the summer. The London 2012 Festival will
turn the whole country into a living stage, from a multilingual bonanza of
Shakespeare productions at Stratford-upon-Avon to a soccer-inspired art
installation deep in a Scottish forest. David Hockney, Leona Lewis, and Philip
Glass are among the heavyweights headlining in London.
Guatemala
Every year countless travelers visit the ruins of once great
Maya cities: Chichén Itzá (Mexico), Tikal (Guatemala), Caracol (Belize), and
Copán (Honduras). The pyramids and stelae are well worth seeing, especially at
jungle-shrouded Tikal (above), but here’s the thing: Maya civilization isn’t
long gone. Its apogee may have passed, but millions of Maya people and their
culture remain alive and well, most vibrantly in Guatemala’s Western Highlands.
The
most alluring place in Maya Guatemala is Chichicastenango, a walkable town
about three hours by road from Guatemala City where more than 95 percent of the
people are indigenous. Each Thursday and Sunday, Maya vendors carry their goods
on their backs at dawn to Chichi’s market, selling brilliantly hued textiles, fearsome
wooden masks, golden and purple maize, necklaces, and produce arranged in
Escher-like patterns. Smoke from grills perfumes the narrow aisles, and so many
women briskly pat stone-ground tortillas into shape that it sounds like a
standing ovation.
Sri Lanka
The first thing that strikes you is the climate. Damp and
bracingly cool, this place doesn’t fit your image of Sri Lanka, the lush island
nation—formerly known as Ceylon—that hangs like a teardrop off the tip of
southern India.
Nuwara
Eliya (pronounced nyur-RAIL-ya) is a colonial-era resort town in Sri Lanka’s
stunning hill country. This mountainous, mist-draped realm has long been
popular with backpackers and other adventurers for its tea plantations (above)
and rain forest preserves, known as the Central Highlands, which recently were
added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
Greece
Patrick Leigh Fermor, the dashing philhellene who died last
June, knew that to get under Greece’s skin you must stray from the instant
gratifications of its seaside resorts. Traveling on foot across the gorges of
Roumeli and mountains of Mani, Leigh Fermor discovered a land of fierce beauty
where traditions run deep. Eventually, he settled in Kardamíli, a sleepy hamlet
in the southern Peloponnese, which he hoped was “too inaccessible, with too
little to do, for it ever to be seriously endangered by tourism.”
Happily,
he was right. While some islands have been scarred by unregulated
development—and as the country grapples with the worst financial crisis in its
modern history—Greece’s rugged mainland retains its unadulterated allure.
Foraging for mushrooms in Epirus, watching pink pelicans take flight over
Prespa Lake, listening to ethereal chanting in Meteora’s monasteries (such as
the Roussanou Monastery, above)—there remain pockets of Greece where time
stands still. You just have to know where to look.
Source: Nationalgeagraphy
